Cleared concepts: The 411 on future funding possibilities
January 25, 2021

Marie A. BERNARD [Former NIA Staff],
Deputy Director,
Office of the Director (OD).

Life comes at you fast and it’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of January 2021. Regular readers of “Inside NIA” know that January typically marks our first National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) meeting of the new year, and with it comes a preview of our latest set of cleared concepts. These are Council-approved areas of research interest, each with the potential to become a future funding opportunity announcement (FOA).

While there’s no guarantee our cleared concepts will definitively be developed into FOAs, the vast majority of them do evolve into opportunities published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts or FedBizOpps. So consider this our 2021 first heads up to investigators looking to get a head start on future applications!  

Read up and get ready

Reading up on these approved concepts now is a wise use of time for those planning or considering research in the scientific areas noted below. Following are our latest list of concepts; click on each item individually to learn more, including the names of program officer contacts.

• Data Enhancements and Analyses to Clarify the Relationship between Education and Cognitive Function (including Alzheimer’s Disease/Alzheimer’s Related Dementias (AD/ADRD)
• Data Management Coordinating Center and a Collaborative Research Space for Translational Research on Exceptional Longevity
• Development and Maintenance of a Multigenotypic Aged Mouse Colony – Contract Renewal
• Early and Late-Stage Clinical Trials for the Spectrum of AD/ADRD Age-Related Cognitive Decline (Re-issue)
• Elucidating the Roles of Transposable Elements in Alzheimer’s Disease and Aging
• High Resolution Mapping of Biomolecules in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Brains
• Leveraging Existing Large Databases and Cohorts to Better Understand the Risks and Benefits of Long-Term Osteoporosis Therapy and Drug Holiday
• Pilot Studies for the Spectrum of AD/ADRD Age-Related Cognitive Decline
• Screening and Intervening in Primary Care for the Maltreatment of Older and Vulnerable Adults with MCI and AD/ADRD
• The Role of Adaptive Immunity in Etiology of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Transformative Artificial Intelligence-Based Strategies to Identify Determinants of Exceptional Health and Life Span
• Transition to Aging and AD/ADRD Career Development Award

If your field of study or scientific area of interests align with our latest concepts list, it would be prudent to share this information with your team; begin discussions about staff, equipment, facilities, and other resources needed; and generally get set prepping for possible future related Program Announcements, Requests for Applications, Requests for Proposals, or Notices of Special Interest.

We’re here to help

As you do your homework, please remember to reach out to the contacts listed if you have questions or need clarification. We hope you are as energized as we are for an exhilarating start to 2021, and we wish you the best of luck with your future applications!